“Public Servants and the Public Good”

by Arthur I. Cyr

            Gen. George C. Marshall is what we used to refer to as a dedicated public servant. As chief of staff of the U.S. Army, he did essential work to get a dangerously unprepared America at least partially ready for World War II, and then lead the mammoth organizational effort required for victory. He later served as secretary of state and secretary of defense during the trying post-war years, when the Cold War and Korean War both began.

            Marshall wanted very much to lead the Normandy invasion but that mission went to his protégé Dwight Eisenhower. FDR considered Marshall indispensable in his wartime role and stated he would not be able to sleep at night if the general were out of the country. Ever the good soldier, Marshall apparently never directly discussed his very intense personal desire with the president. He did his duty with dedication, consistently putting the national interest above his own.

            Along with remarkable administrative ability, Marshall demonstrated great diplomatic and political skill. Following Pearl Harbor, the Japanese Imperial Army surrounded American forces in the Philippines under the command of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, a man widely disliked and mistrusted among fellow officers and more generally in Washington. President Roosevelt nevertheless did not want the American commander to become a Japanese prisoner and ordered an evacuation to Australia.

            Marshall followed up thoroughly to ensure that media and public, at home and abroad, knew that this was not MacArthur’s decision, and that the government of Australia provided a positive and supportive welcome. The ultimate professional, he never let personal opinions of MacArthur interfere. The ultimate staffer, he devoted the time necessary for operational success.

            This leader is not much discussed today, reflecting his notable modesty, which stands out especially in Washington. Marshall himself put very little personal information in the public record, and never wrote memoirs, likely in part because he feared inadvertently revealing details about the war and aftermath that were best kept private, and in part – incredibly from a contemporary perspective – because he felt strongly that patriotic citizens should not benefit financially from government office. For him, public service was literally just that. Fortunately, Forrest Pogue authored a masterful comprehensive biography of this great leader.

            This brings the discussion to Charles Bowsher, who this week addressed the Business and Professional Coalition of Carthage College. For sixteen years starting in 1981, he was Comptroller General of the United States, a low-profile but vitally important post which oversees budget management on behalf of the Congress.

            Earlier, Bowsher spent a total of a quarter century with top accounting firm Arthur Andersen. He visited Carthage thanks to Dave Brunn, Rogers Palmer Distinguished Professor, who is also a senior veteran of Arthur Andersen.

            In public remarks, the former Comptroller General provided a detailed tour of the government horizon. He gives high marks to Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton for impressive budgetary discipline, even in the face of harsh criticism, which probably cost the former leader reelection. In comments echoing Eisenhower, he emphasized that wars are easy to start but very hard to conclude, and that Iraq fits this picture.

            His presentation was a persuasive reminder of the vital role of government in handling financial crises, from the collapse of the Penn Central Railroad in the 1970s to Bear Stearns today, and also the great difficulty of managing change in the public sector.

            Like Paul Volcker, who served as head of the Federal Reserve during the same time, Bowsher has demonstrated commitment to the public good through government service. Like Marshall, Volcker and many others, his modest competence is essential to our continued national success.

Arthur I. Cyr is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College and author of ‘After the Cold War’ (NYU Press and Palgrave/Macmillan). He can be reached at acyr@carthage.edu